What if a household was too small to eat an entire Passover lamb? The Torah addresses this in (Exodus 12:4): "Then he and his neighbor next to his house shall take it." Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Yishmael drew opposite legal conclusions from this very same verse.
Rabbi Akiva asked: Where do we learn that a person may make the Passover offering entirely for himself, without joining others? From the phrase "he and his neighbor shall take" — the word "he" comes first, establishing the individual's right to act alone. The neighbor is an option, not a requirement.
Rabbi Yishmael read the same verse and asked a different question: Where do we learn that a person may appoint others to share in his lamb? From "he and his neighbor" — the verse explicitly envisions partnership.
Both readings are valid because the Torah's phrasing accommodates both possibilities. The individual can offer alone, and the individual can invite others. The verse is not commanding either arrangement but permitting both. This flexibility was essential for a practical reason: household sizes varied enormously in ancient Israel. A wealthy family might consume an entire lamb. A poor individual might need to join with neighbors. The Torah's careful wording ensured that both situations were legally covered without requiring a one-size-fits-all approach to the most important sacrifice of the Jewish year.